Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

ewright

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint glass. A finger of creamy beige head forms and recedes to a thin layer. The beer is black like a stout, but very slightly less opaque.

S: Aroma is dominated by the smell of a natural wood smoker mingling with notes of coffee.

T: Coffee and faint caramel notes are overlaid with moderately strong smoke. The smoke is more of a woody smoke than a meaty smoke that I've found in some German rauchbeirs. Hops are just present enough to balance the malt sweetness.

M: Moderate carbonation with a medium body. The creamy body hinted at by the head comes through in the back of the mouth.

D: The smokiness that adds to the taste score slightly decreases the drinkability. By the end of the beer, I've had enough smoke for one night. On the other hand, that makes it a good 6pk purchase as it should last for the better part of a week!

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2009 01:43:50 | More by ewright

blackie

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a: pilsner glass, the scwarz is a deep stained chestnut brown in color, capped with a light mocha head that shows good retention and lace

s: big aromas of dry, charred barley dominate with undertones of cocoa and earthy hops mostly masked by the roast, smoked meats and a touch of lager malt underneath, some mildly caramelized sugars, it's evident already that D-R has taken a very unique approach to the style - kicking up the roasted barley to levels not really found in other examples

m: carbonation on the full side, creates a surprisingly creamy mouthfeel in combination with the light-medium body

t: much like the aroma, rich charred barley is the dominant flavor here, big roasts suggest coffee and cocoa dances underneath with a light toffee sweetness on a supportive body of clean malt, finishes with a lingering dry roast (surprise!) and mild bitterness, with sub-flavors of meat left on the grill to the point of carbonization, does all this make a good Schwarz? I dunno, but I dig it

d: easy, drinks like (and very much resembles) a dry Irish stout, drinks well and continues to do so even after warming

six-pack from Whole Foods, Vienna, VA...glad to have the Duck-Rabbits up here in the Commonwealth

sampled subsequently on tap at Bierria Paradiso DC and have found it to be considerably more appealing in bottled form

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2009 01:21:28 | More by blackie

NCSUdo

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle

A: Dark black under a medium sized off white head. Good retention, decent laze.

S: This is where the beer shines. Excellent aroma. Caramel, nutty, toffee, sweet, toasted, very malty. Just an overall excellent aroma profile. Perhaps even a whiff of smoke as well. Very well done.

T: Not as big as the aroma, but well done. Toasted malt, caramel, toffee are all the big story again. Sweetness is kept at a minimal, an hint of coffee and bitterness is a little stronger then expected and can be slightly off balance at times.

M/D: Medium to full bodied, carbonation is medium. Drinkability is very good. A superb schwarzbier.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2009 00:29:15 | More by NCSUdo

rtratzlaff

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at Flying Saucer Raleigh.
The look is not quite opaque black in body with a tan head.
Aromas are roasted malt and hallertauer hop spice kick.
The flavor is some sweetness upfront followed by a sharp kick of roasted malt and dark roast coffee. Slightly acidic per style. Lighter mouthfeel with a sharpness from decent carbonation. I have tried about five other US brewed swarzbiers and this stands out as being much darker (DR style), less chocolate and more coffee, and a bit hoppier in the finish.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2009 18:37:45 | More by rtratzlaff

atsprings

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a standard pint glass a dark almost opaque black with a decent head that diminishes to a ring and leaves slight lacing on the glass. The aroma is a decent amount of roasted malts, dried fruits, cocoa and slight coffee. The taste is a nice subtle blend of roasted malts with subtle yet present coffee, cocoa, and dried fruits with a decent hop backbone. The beer is quite light and refreshing, even on a hot summer day. This is a very respectable version of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2009 03:18:22 | More by atsprings

jhamilton84

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer at the release party in Raleigh Flying Saucer. The coffee and caramel on the nose hits pretty well, and gives the illusion of being a big bold stout. Very black with a nice tan head that doesn't go away too quickly. The mouthfeel was very "thin" and I did not percieve it to be a big bodied beer. The taste was of coffee, caramel, and very crisp like a certain pilsners I've tasted. Overall, this beer was very good, and I was excited to be one of the first to try it at the Saucer in Raleigh North Carolina.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2009 21:53:57 | More by jhamilton84